The Urban Council is the most democratic institution in Hong Kong. Established in 1935, it was the first in the three-tier political system to introduce direct elections. The district boards had their first in the early 1980s; the Legislative Council started to indirectly elect a portion of its members in 1985, but the Urban Council's tradition of electing members goes back more than 40 years.
But it was not until last year that the council abolished its appointment system and turned the body into a fully-elected council.
Now, of the 41 Urban Councillors, 32 are directly elected while the remaining nine are elected from among district board members in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
Unlike Legislative Councillors who enjoy no executive powers, Urban Councillors make their own policies and implement them in many areas that affect our daily life - from the construction of buildings for fresh food markets, to control of hawkers, from organising and providing arts and cultural programmes, to construction of town halls and theatres, from building parks and sports grounds to managing museums and libraries.
The council is also responsible for safeguarding public health - street cleaning, pest control, public health education and control and licensing of food premises.
Members also assume a quasi-ministerial role as chairmen of sub-committees. They, not government officials, must answer queries and explain policies to the full council and the community.
